Two students inducted into nursing honor society

NORTH NEWTON, KAN. – Bethel College’s director of nursing gave the address for the annual recognition ceremony of a nursing honor society, at which two Bethel nursing students were honored.

Phyllis Miller, chair of Bethel’s Department of Nursing, spoke on the topic “Wanted: Nursing Leaders – Opportunities Abound!” at the induction ceremony for the Epsilon Gamma Chapter-at-Large of Sigma Theta Tau International, held Sunday, Nov. 21, at Wichita State University.

Nancy Lugo-Baez, Bethel instructor of nursing and Sigma Theta Tau faculty counselor, also attended the ceremony, at which two of Bethel’s senior nursing students, Anna Quiring, Newton, and Amita Shrestha, North Newton, were inducted into the society. Quiring was also named the Bethel’s Iota Chi Excellence in Scholarship Award winner for this academic year, for having the highest GPA in the 2011 nursing class.

Sigma Theta Tau International is a nursing honor society that recognizes scholarship and leadership among its members. The Epsilon Gamma Chapter-at-Large includes nurses and nursing students from Bethel College, Newman University, Southwestern College, Tabor College and WSU.

Sigma Theta Tau International is one of the largest and most prestigious nursing organizations in the world. The honor society is a group of nurse scholars and leaders recognized for their superior achievement, leadership qualities, high professional standards and commitment to the profession of nursing. Sigma Theta Tau chapters are found around the world, in Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the United States and parts of Africa, Europe and South America.

Each undergraduate candidate for membership must meet the following criteria: have completed half of the school’s nursing curriculum; have achieved academic excellence (at schools such as Bethel that use a 4.0 grade point average, this equals 3.0 or higher); rank in the upper 35 percent of the graduating class; and meet the expectation of academic integrity.

“Recognition of [Amita and Anna] reflects their scholarship and leadership skills, already apparent [in them] as students,” Miller said, “and we were proud to have them inducted into Sigma Theta Tau.”

Bethel College is the only private, liberal arts college in Kansas listed in the 2010-11 Forbes.com analysis of top colleges and universities in the United States and is in the first tier in its category in the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of “America’s Top Colleges” for 2011. The four-year liberal arts college is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu.

Back to News NORTH NEWTON, KAN. – Bethel College’s director of nursing gave the address for the annual recognition ceremony of a nursing honor society, at which two Bethel nursing students were honored. Phyllis Miller, chair of Bethel’s Department of Nursing, …